In a press release on Thursday, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced that in the 7th Annual Governors Awards on Saturday, November 14, 2015 - an honorary Oscar will be presented to Spike Lee, Gena Rowlands and Debbie Reynolds.
The event will be held at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center. Both Spike Lee and Gena Rowlands will receive an honorary award, as a recognition of their work in the motion picture industry. And, as the American actress and singer Debbie Reynolds has worked with the mentally disabled, Debbie will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs, stated, "The Board is proud to recognize our honorees' remarkable contributions at this year's Governors Awards," Academy President Isaacs also said, "We'll be celebrating their achievements with the knowledge that the work they have accomplished - with passion, dedication and a desire to make a positive difference - will also enrich future generations."
President Isaacs said she called all the recipients to notify them of their awards, and Isaacs said that Lee responded her by saying, "Get outta here!"
The American film director, producer and writer - Spike Lee, got two Oscar nominations in Original screenplay for 1989's "Do the Right Thing" and documentary feature for 1997's "4 Little Girls." Spike Lee is currently the artistic director of graduate films at NYU - New York University.
The American film, stage and television actress Gena Rowlands, got nominated twice in Lead actress in 1974's "A Woman Under the Influence" and 1980's "Gloria."
As President Cheryl Boone Isaacs called Debbie Reynolds "a true American star," president Isaacs also stated, "What is also special about her is with all of her fame through stage and television and certainly as a film actress, how much of her time she has put forth to better other people's lives," "We thought it was so important to recognize that she has been at the forefront of the mental health issue for such a long time."
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SOURCES:
https://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/27/us-film-oscars-idUSKCN0QW2BA20150827
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/oscar-to-honor-spike-lee-gena-rowlands-debbie-reynolds/
